2010: “Akoostik Magic”

By Alex Druce, from the Wingham Chronicle, 19 October 2010.

Wind blew the crowds in on Saturday. The gorgeous sunshine kept them there on Sunday.

Record numbers flooded Wingham Central Park over the weekend for the fourth annual Wingham Akoostik Music Festival.

The Akoostik Festival committee were taken aback by the support shown for this year’s event.

Audience members, musicians and volunteers together made up a healthy crowd of 1800 people who came over both days, making 2010 the biggest festival yet.

Music lovers young and old were on hand to witness stunning performances from headliners Wendy Matthews and Phil Jamieson, while our local contingent showed they can more than hold their own in such prestigious company.

Highlights included blistering sets from local bands The Hydrafonics, The Influence, Struk, The Maladies and Container.

Family band The Twine rose above Saturday’s hurricane-force winds, their pounding bass and strong melodies endearing them to a dedicated audience.

Singer-songwriters were also well represented with Sophiella Watt, Tenika Vakauta and Sara Tindley thrilling crowds with their original tunes.

Comedic trio Myrth had the audience in stitches and the Taree High School Fellas and Singas choirs were a massive hit. Up In Annie’s Room and The Tracey Campbell Trio kept everyone dancing into Saturday night.

Sunday afternoon saw the staging of the Akoostik Festival’s ‘biggest band in the land’ world record attempt for the most guitars being played in the one spot at the one time.

In the end, 93 musicians joined in on the act.

It is still to be confirmed whether this is a record nationally or internationally, but regardless of that, the mass participation was a perfect way to cap off what was a fantastic weekend of live and local music.

^ Photos by Sophie Bird

 » Click here for detailed artist lineups from previous festivals!

2009 Festival

Manning music lovers were treated to a two day feast of global flavours over the 2009 Akoostik weekend, Oct 17 and 18. The Wingham Akoostik Music Festival was spectacular.

Crowds, supporting a host of live musical acts on Wingham Central Park, basked in the perfect weather and celebrated the third annual incarnation of the Festival.

The weekend featured musical styles from across the globe, a tantalising mixture of reggae, Irish, Indian, gypsy, folk, blues, country, rock and pop acts setting the stage alight.

Big name performers Shane Howard, Dan Rumour and the Drift, Thrillbilly Stomp and Afro Moses drew the crowds in, but it was the local talent who kept them there.

Scintillating performances from the Hydrafonics, Love Parade, Up in Annie’s Room, The Workshop, Wherrol b Flat and the Last Train were among the highlights, with a new breed of Manning Valley youngsters, including Sophiella Watt, Millie Hauritz, Tenika Vakauta, Illusion and Jim Bird, also highly impressive.

 » Click here for detailed artist lineups from previous festivals!

2008 festival

The 2008 Wingham Akoostik Music Festival was truly an inspiring weekend.

Wingham was put on show to the rest of the Manning and beyond with clear, sunny skies smiling on Central Park throughout the weekend, providing perfect conditions for the musical celebration.

About 1600 people lined up for the music, which stretched over Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, with 28 acts hitting the stage to share their live and original tunes.

The festival began Saturday morning with the Grow Your Own Music workshop program – a new addition to the event covering guitar technique, djembe drumming, songwriting and arrangement, vocal technique and magic.

Participants began the day with breakfast at award-winning café Bent On Food before breaking up to attend one of the five specialist workshops held in various venues surrounding Central Park. Feedback from the participants was uniformly positive, many saying they wished the workshops had lasted longer.

The line-up contained a strong combination of local acts and those from further afield.

The official festival program kicked off at noon with Michael Saunders delivering the Welcome To Country before a word from Greater Taree City Mayor Paul Hogan.

Audience members were impressed by the slick operation. The two stages meant there was no gap between acts, providing continuous music all day long.

Saturday’s performance from young guitar virtuoso Smokin’ Joe Robinson – the winner of TV’s Australia’s Got Talent – was highly anticipated and he did not disappoint. Punters were wowed by the 17-year-old’s talent and dexterity as he treated them to sneak preview versions of songs from his album, recorded in Nashville.

The local acts proved just as impressive as the bigger names from outside of the area.

The Hydrafonics – four Wingham High School students – captured the audience’s attention Saturday afternoon with their high energy rock.

Smokin’ Joe made a surprise second appearance, joining the Hydrafonics boys for a blistering electric guitar solo.

The performance of Afro Moses, later that day, was like nothing ever seen in Wingham before. The multi-instrumentalist from Ghana got the whole crowd on its feet, dancing and singing along to his traditional African sounds and tribal beats – providing a memorable highlight for day one.

The music continued after sundown with ARIA Award nominees The Flood closing the night.

Hundreds returned to the park for day two. The music was more relaxed and cruisy, reflecting the feel of the lazy Sunday. Highlights included singer-songwriter James Johnston of Cedar Party and Wherrol Flat magician Jay Scott Berry, whose visual illusions amazed audience members of all ages.

Deputy mayor Mal Marks was invited on stage to speak Sunday afternoon and he paid tribute to the talented local musicians who performed and the dedicated volunteers who organised the festival and kept it running smoothly over the two days. Special mention was made of the many teenagers who worked tirelessly on the gate and backstage.

Golden Guitar-winner Felicity Urquhart’s soulful country sounds closed the festival for 2008.

Organisers have termed the festival a massive success and they hope the event can continue to grow in size and reputation in years to come.

2008 line-up:

• The Flood
• Afro Moses
• Jigzag
• Smokin’ Joe Robinson
• Jeffro
• Peggy van Zalm
• The Workshop
• Wingsong
• Hydrafonics
• The Maladies
• Sophie Watt
• Kate Delaney
• Dave N Ryany
• Tenika Vakauta
• Nick Bielby
• Felicity Urquhart
• Matt Zarb
• Sara Tindley
• Up in Annie’s Room
• The Last Train
• Darren Jack
• The Awesomes
• Slycology
• Tracey Hibberd
• Mick & Reuben Carr
• James Johnston
• Jay Scott Berry

2007 Festival

The inaugural Wingham Akoostik Music Festival was an outstanding success.

Wingham’s historic Central Park came alive with music and a buzzing festival atmosphere on Saturday, October 27, 2007. About 1400 went through the gates for the one-day family friendly celebration, making the most of the jam-packed line-up of original music.

The many and varied market stalls kept the bargain hunters happy and the non-stop music didn’t fail to impress.

Headliner Kevin Bennett stepped outside of his ARIA Award-nominated band The Flood to present his captivating songs in the unplugged setting. The critically-acclaimed songwriter brought the event to a stunning close with his personal songs.

Other highlights earlier in the day included Sydney gypsy soul band Arabesk, who had audiences enthralled with their intriguing rhythms and world music sounds.

The performance of Morgan Sheather, a 15-year-old from Taree West, was a revelation. Her earnest songs so impressed the crowds that she was brought back for an encore performance later in the afternoon.

There were activities to keep the kids busy and plenty of tempting food and coffee. The event was also alcohol free, in keeping with the family friendly atmosphere.

The outdoor event wowed locals and attracted many people from outside of the area to the quaint town of Wingham.

This not-for-profit event was put on by a small group of Wingham community members for the benefit of the town and to also allow musicians the chance to play their original music in a live environment.

2007 line-up:

• Kevin Bennett
• The Workshop
• Mi Fongs
• Arabesk
• BlueSliders
• Danshev and Detlev
• Love Parade
• Ryan/Elith/Bulley
• The Last Train
• The Everinghams with Phil Hitchcock
• Up In Annie’s Room
• James Johnston
• Ryan Thompson
• Morgan Sheather
• Andy Saunders
• Wingsong

For photos from the 2007 festival, see the Photos page.